Cranston, Rhode Island
is the home of twenty four public schools. Cranston High School West is one of the two high schools in this district. Students who attend Cranston’s public high schools attend either Cranston High School East or Cranston High School West. West is made of five buildings. These include the normal academic buildings, as well as a building dedicated to a separate, but linked vocational school known as The Career and Technical Center. The center provides an alternative for the students. This large, suburban school holds just under 1800 students and is staffed by roughly 124 teachers(CHSW 2007). The community of Cranston faces many financial issues on a daily basis. These issues directly affect the schools, and in the case of Cranston West cause the school to make do in certain areas such as technology and supplies. Despite these economic concerns, Cranston West is still a thriving high school with a hard working faculty who provide the students with a good education in which the students take great pride. The following information is intended to provide an educational profile of Cranston High School West in greater depth including the educational statistics and the background of the school’s community.
Community Background
The city of Cranston has been considered to be a part of the metropolitan area of Providence since its day of incorporation in 1910. It is physically situated just south of the capital city with 3 ½ miles of shore line on the Providence River. The city of Warwick, town of West Warwick, and the town of Scituate all surround Cranston. It is the third largest city with an area of 28.2 square miles and a population of 81,679 persons (Quickfacts 2003). Cranston is a perfect representation of diversity in Rhode Island. It is diverse in regards to wealth, ethnicity, age, commerce, and religion. The average household income is approximately $44,108. Cranston is composed of roughly thirty-three different denominations and 2,940 assorted businesses (2000 Census). “According to the 2000 Census, 17,098 children under age 18 were living in Cranston” (Data in Your Backyard Kids Count Factbook 2007). Amongst the under 18 population, Kids Count has classified 82% to be White, 7% to be Hispanic or Latino, 5% to be Asian, and 3% to be Black. Foreigners make up just under 10% of Cranston's population according to the US census and just under one fifth of them are 65 years or older. Approximately 75% of the residents are high school graduates and of those graduates, roughly 24.6% of them have achieved a Bachelor’s degree or higher. The Census records the median household income as $44,108. “In Cranston in 2005, 1,288 children were living under the federal poverty threshold, compared with 19.9% of Rhode children overall” (Data in Your Backyard Kids Count Factbook 2007). The schools face challenges of immigrant families, limited parental education, low-income, high mobility, and a moderate drop out rate, in addition to the 201 violent crimes committed in the year 2001 (IDcide 2001). In the midst of all this diversity, the schools do not feel as though the community involvement and support is at its proper level (Information Works 2006). CHSW’s mission statement testifies that they view the community as “educational partners” with the school. CSHW looks to their surrounding community for aid in groups, encouragement for the students, and presenting opportunities to further student learning.
District Summary
Cranston is responsible for educating well over 11,000 students. The number of students is not their only obstacle. The diversity of these students is immeasurable. The student body is composed of roughly 35 Native Americans, 700 Asian Pacific students, 500 black students, 8400 white students, 1300 Hispanic students. When compared with it's neighboring district of Warwick, Cranston achieves a slightly higher graduation rate, graduating 89% of its student body to Warwick’s 86%. The state of Rhode Island grants Cranston just under 84 million dollars, the high school receives nearly 23.5 million dollars, and in turn the per pupil expenditure is $7,731. The community of Cranston could certaintly benefit from greater funds, but they are able to provide the necessary transportation for their students.
School Analysis
Cranston High School West occupies an extensive campus located in the western, more affluent part of the city of Cranston. As mentioned earlier, five separate buildings make up the school; one of the buildings being Cranston Area Career and Technical Center. The grounds offer phenomenal sports amenities in the form of six tennis courts, baseball field, track, and football field. According to the January, 2003 SALT Visit Report the staff includes 1 principal, 3 assistant principals, 122 teachers, 4 guidance counselors, 2 library media specialist, 6 student services professionals, 8 secretaries, 4 teacher assistants, 2 technology assistants, 1 nurse, and 11 custodians. The student population is just shy of 1800 learners. The school’s website provides a list of their very specific and well aimed objectives as an educational facility. The objectives include such things as: “to challenge the students academically at the level commensurate with their aptitude and goals, to provide a comprehensive range of diagnostic services and programs to assess and meet the specific needs of students who require special services, to develop necessary skills within appropriate environments to foster creative expression, and to develop a sense of civic consciousness through participation in organizations and in student government” (CHSW 2007). The school’s mission statement integrates expectations of the administration, faculty, students, and the community. “The mission of Cranston High School West is to empower and support all students to become responsible for their learning, to strive to reach their potential, to become a community of diverse learners, to treat others with courtesy and respect, and to become productive members of our society” (CHSW 2007). The high school has an impressive graduation rate of 92% and a 91.8% attendance rate. The SALT survey did not give a promising report on the climate, parental involvement, or instruction. The report used the term “inconsistent” to describe the school in general. The team commented on the lack of consistency in expectations for acceptable behavior and the resulting disciplinary actions taken. More critically, the report commented on the “lack of uniform demand for all students to produce high quality work.” (SALT Report, 2003). The team was also concerned with a clear lack of communication between the school and the Career and Technical Center. Cranston High School West has a small percentage of students with disabilities. Only two students had to take the alternate state assessment. The school does institute inclusion in the classroom. According to the SALT survey, below half of the teacher population is actually involved in the school. “The federal No Child Left Behind Act mandates that schools meet targets for the school as a whole and for eight groups of students within the school. Schools that miss targets have not made ‘Adequate Yearly Progress’”(Information Works 2006). According to the 2006 Rhode Island Report Card, CHSW met all of their targets in Mathematics and Language Arts Assessments with the exception of the students with disabilities. They were classified as “insufficient progress” (RIDOE 2006).
Conclusion
Cranston High School West proves to be a solid choice for teachers and education employers looking for work. The school's positive attitude and eager learners make it a very good enviroment that thrives on education. CHSW pushes for success in the classroom as shown by its high graduation rates as well as other statistics in comparison with neighboring schools. CHSW also performs as one of the top schools in its district and is one of the top high schools in the area when including Providence and Warrick district schools which surround the district of Cranston. Even with the insufficient progress CHSW was marked with in terms of NCLB, that does not stop the school from pushing towards its mission statemens and getting the students to reach their full potential of learning. All new faculty can be a part of this education method and help the school continue to get better and reach the targets that they have missed in the past and really put this school above others in the area.
Title
Cranston West High School
Introduction
Cranston, Rhode Island
is the home of twenty four public schools. Cranston High School West is one of the two high schools in this district. Students who attend Cranston’s public high schools attend either Cranston High School East or Cranston High School West. West is made of five buildings. These include the normal academic buildings, as well as a building dedicated to a separate, but linked vocational school known as The Career and Technical Center. The center provides an alternative for the students. This large, suburban school holds just under 1800 students and is staffed by roughly 124 teachers(CHSW 2007). The community of Cranston faces many financial issues on a daily basis. These issues directly affect the schools, and in the case of Cranston West cause the school to make do in certain areas such as technology and supplies. Despite these economic concerns, Cranston West is still a thriving high school with a hard working faculty who provide the students with a good education in which the students take great pride. The following information is intended to provide an educational profile of Cranston High School West in greater depth including the educational statistics and the background of the school’s community.
Community Background
The city of Cranston has been considered to be a part of the metropolitan area of Providence since its day of incorporation in 1910. It is physically situated just south of the capital city with 3 ½ miles of shore line on the Providence River. The city of Warwick, town of West Warwick, and the town of Scituate all surround Cranston. It is the third largest city with an area of 28.2 square miles and a population of 81,679 persons (Quickfacts 2003). Cranston is a perfect representation of diversity in Rhode Island. It is diverse in regards to wealth, ethnicity, age, commerce, and religion. The average household income is approximately $44,108. Cranston is composed of roughly thirty-three different denominations and 2,940 assorted businesses (2000 Census). “According to the 2000 Census, 17,098 children under age 18 were living in Cranston” (Data in Your Backyard Kids Count Factbook 2007). Amongst the under 18 population, Kids Count has classified 82% to be White, 7% to be Hispanic or Latino, 5% to be Asian, and 3% to be Black. Foreigners make up just under 10% of Cranston's population according to the US census and just under one fifth of them are 65 years or older. Approximately 75% of the residents are high school graduates and of those graduates, roughly 24.6% of them have achieved a Bachelor’s degree or higher. The Census records the median household income as $44,108. “In Cranston in 2005, 1,288 children were living under the federal poverty threshold, compared with 19.9% of Rhode children overall” (Data in Your Backyard Kids Count Factbook 2007). The schools face challenges of immigrant families, limited parental education, low-income, high mobility, and a moderate drop out rate, in addition to the 201 violent crimes committed in the year 2001 (IDcide 2001). In the midst of all this diversity, the schools do not feel as though the community involvement and support is at its proper level (Information Works 2006). CHSW’s mission statement testifies that they view the community as “educational partners” with the school. CSHW looks to their surrounding community for aid in groups, encouragement for the students, and presenting opportunities to further student learning.
District Summary
Cranston is responsible for educating well over 11,000 students. The number of students is not their only obstacle. The diversity of these students is immeasurable. The student body is composed of roughly 35 Native Americans, 700 Asian Pacific students, 500 black students, 8400 white students, 1300 Hispanic students. When compared with it's neighboring district of Warwick, Cranston achieves a slightly higher graduation rate, graduating 89% of its student body to Warwick’s 86%. The state of Rhode Island grants Cranston just under 84 million dollars, the high school receives nearly 23.5 million dollars, and in turn the per pupil expenditure is $7,731. The community of Cranston could certaintly benefit from greater funds, but they are able to provide the necessary transportation for their students.
School Analysis
Cranston High School West occupies an extensive campus located in the western, more affluent part of the city of Cranston. As mentioned earlier, five separate buildings make up the school; one of the buildings being Cranston Area Career and Technical Center. The grounds offer phenomenal sports amenities in the form of six tennis courts, baseball field, track, and football field. According to the January, 2003 SALT Visit Report the staff includes 1 principal, 3 assistant principals, 122 teachers, 4 guidance counselors, 2 library media specialist, 6 student services professionals, 8 secretaries, 4 teacher assistants, 2 technology assistants, 1 nurse, and 11 custodians. The student population is just shy of 1800 learners. The school’s website provides a list of their very specific and well aimed objectives as an educational facility. The objectives include such things as: “to challenge the students academically at the level commensurate with their aptitude and goals, to provide a comprehensive range of diagnostic services and programs to assess and meet the specific needs of students who require special services, to develop necessary skills within appropriate environments to foster creative expression, and to develop a sense of civic consciousness through participation in organizations and in student government” (CHSW 2007). The school’s mission statement integrates expectations of the administration, faculty, students, and the community. “The mission of Cranston High School West is to empower and support all students to become responsible for their learning, to strive to reach their potential, to become a community of diverse learners, to treat others with courtesy and respect, and to become productive members of our society” (CHSW 2007). The high school has an impressive graduation rate of 92% and a 91.8% attendance rate. The SALT survey did not give a promising report on the climate, parental involvement, or instruction. The report used the term “inconsistent” to describe the school in general. The team commented on the lack of consistency in expectations for acceptable behavior and the resulting disciplinary actions taken. More critically, the report commented on the “lack of uniform demand for all students to produce high quality work.” (SALT Report, 2003). The team was also concerned with a clear lack of communication between the school and the Career and Technical Center. Cranston High School West has a small percentage of students with disabilities. Only two students had to take the alternate state assessment. The school does institute inclusion in the classroom. According to the SALT survey, below half of the teacher population is actually involved in the school. “The federal No Child Left Behind Act mandates that schools meet targets for the school as a whole and for eight groups of students within the school. Schools that miss targets have not made ‘Adequate Yearly Progress’”(Information Works 2006). According to the 2006 Rhode Island Report Card, CHSW met all of their targets in Mathematics and Language Arts Assessments with the exception of the students with disabilities. They were classified as “insufficient progress” (RIDOE 2006).
Conclusion
Cranston High School West proves to be a solid choice for teachers and education employers looking for work. The school's positive attitude and eager learners make it a very good enviroment that thrives on education. CHSW pushes for success in the classroom as shown by its high graduation rates as well as other statistics in comparison with neighboring schools. CHSW also performs as one of the top schools in its district and is one of the top high schools in the area when including Providence and Warrick district schools which surround the district of Cranston. Even with the insufficient progress CHSW was marked with in terms of NCLB, that does not stop the school from pushing towards its mission statemens and getting the students to reach their full potential of learning. All new faculty can be a part of this education method and help the school continue to get better and reach the targets that they have missed in the past and really put this school above others in the area.
References
(2007). Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Indicatiors of Child Well-Being. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from Rhode Island Kids Count Web site: http://www.rikidscount.org/matriarch/documents/Cranston%281%29.pdf
(2007). Cranston, RI Profile. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from Idcide Web site: http://www.idcide.com/citydata/ri/cranston.htm
(2003. January 31). Cranston High School West, The Salt Visit Team Report. Retrieved October 17, 2007, from Information Works Web site: http://www.eride.ri.gov/dataDump/00/2006-07/SaltRpts/200301_07_Cranston_High_West.pdf
(2006). Cranston High School West Information Center. Retrieved October 8, 2007, from CPS k12 Web site: http://www.cps.k12.ri.us/chsw/chswpage/chsw.htm
((2007, August 31). US Census Bureau State and County Quickfacts. Retrieved October 17, 2007, from Quickfacts Web site: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/44/4419180.html
(2007). US Census 2003. Retrieved October 5, 2007, from US Census Bureau Web site: http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US44&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_DP1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U
(2006). CHSW October Enrollment Report . Retrieved October 10, 2007, from Rhode Island Department of Education Web site:
http://www.ride.ri.gov/Applications/statistics.aspx
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